The present invention relates to a unit for connecting or joining together the ends of ropes, and particularly the ropes in rope-belt driving systems, rope conveyors or rope lifting systems, for example rope systems forming part of a rotary drying plant, so that the rope ends may be unjoined when desired.
One known way of joining the ends of wire ropes together is by way of short or long splices (see German Industrial Standard or DIN 83318). However there is then no chance for the adjustment of such a joint or for the unjoining of the two rope ends.
It is furthermore possible (see DIN 3092) for the ends of wire ropes to be joined together in special joining fittings with pieces of metal cast on the rope ends taken up in sleeves. Such joining fittings are show for example in German Offenlegungsschrift specification Nos. 2,235,475 and 1,900,909.
A further type of rope joining unit with ends of the two ropes crossed over in a swaged-on fitting is shown in German Offenlegungsschrift specification No. 2,200,523.
Furthermore there are a great number of different swaged-on connections with thimbles in special connection pieces.
Some of all known forms of connection permit the two rope ends disconnected from each other. Among these, very few can be used in systems with driving sheaves because it is only in a limited number of cases that such connections can move past and over such sheaves. If in a rope system a number of ropes are placed parallel to each other and joined in separate loops, it is not possible in the prior art to make any adjustment in length of the loops so that they all have the same length. The lengths however are likely to be unequal because of manufacturing tolerances or stretch. Furthermore, there is an uneven loading of ropes if the turning parts of machines used therewith are changed in position.